Oil-well packer



C, M.`HEETER. 0|L wEL`LPAcKER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1918.

2 SHEETS -SHEET I.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Illll WITNESSES C. Nl. HEUER.

OIL WELL PACKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26. ISIS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented July 1.8,

0] Q 8765 452 ZZ H8 //f/ /H/ /M/HO/ /7 INVENTOR Ljmumm. HQXW WITNESSES Y proved packer.

HRLES M. HEETER, 0F BUTLERQPENNSYLVANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

y oir-WELL Pecans.

Patented July 1S, 1922.

Application led September 26, 1918. Serial lilo. 255,764.

To all 'w hom t may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES M. HEETER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oil-Well Packers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description7 reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whic Figure 1 is a side elevation ofl my im- Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line II-II of Figure 1, showing the packer in the well in the position in which it is to be used. i

`Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the device in the position it assumes when the first holding device has gone into operation.

Figure .4: is a view similar to Figure 3 in which both holding devices have been moved into holding position with relation to the` wall of the well.

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the packer in position within the well, and

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the lower end of the tube illustrating a portion of the latching member.

This invention relates to an improvement in oil well packers, and it is designed to provide an inexpensive and eflicient packer having two holding devices which are brought into action before the packer is set to avoid any danger of the packer shifting due to the giving way of the wall. n

I am aware that it is old to use packers having two holding devices for engaging the wall, and in which the second holding device is brought into action after the other holding device gives way. In my improved packer both holding devices are set before the packer is set, so that both holding devices are brought into action at almost the same time when the packer is placed in the well. Bv this arrangement I am enabled to provide a holding` device in which each holding device only supports a part of the load.

' 'Ihe precise nature of my invention will be bestunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawingsywhichwill now be "described, it being premised, however` that various changes may be made in the details of construction and the eneral arrangement of the parts without (eparting from the the frusto-conical spirit and scope of my invention as defined 1n the appended claims.

In the drawings the reference character 2 'designates a tube which, in this case, extends throughout the entire'length of the packer. Connected to the lower end of the tube by means of a pin 3 is a flanged member 4 having a recess or' cut-away portion 5. Slidably mounted on the tube 2 above the ianged member 4, is a combined slip and holding member 6. This slip and holding -member comprises a ring at the lower end having four spring fingers 7 extending upwardlytherefrom, and connected with the upper end of each or these fingers 7 is a holding member 8, which is arranged to engage the wall of thewell when the lingers 'are spread as hereinafter described. Connected to each of the fingers 7 is a frictional spring member 9, and 10 is a hook member arranged to engage the flange Lla to hold the slip, and'holding member in position when the device is lowered into the well. 11 is a frusto-conical member connected to the tube 2 by means of a frangible pin 12. This frusto-conical member is arranged 'to engage frusto-conical surfaces on the holding members 8 to force them outwardly into engagement with the wall of' the well to support the tubing above the packer, as hereinafter described.

member 11, or connected to the tube 2 by means of the frangible pin 13, is a second slip and holding member 14. This slip and holding member is also provided with spring fingers l5, each having holding members 16 on the end thereof. 1T is a second frusto-conical member connected to the tube 2 by means of a frangiblepin 18 and is arranged to force the holding members 16 against the wall of the well to assist'in supporting the tubing as hereinafter described. The upper end ot' the frusto-conical member is recessed for the reception of a cylindrical flexible packing member 19 which is made of' rubber or any suitable material. 2() is an expander for the flexible packing member 19 which may either be formed integrally withthe tube 2 or connected thereto in any desired manner. In the drawings this expander is connected by means of a pin or screw 2l. Connected to the upper end of the tubing is a compressor 23, which is arran ed to form an abutment or expander for t 1e upper end of the packing member 19 to hold the upper Formed integrally with Cit theremre,

= tubing portion thereof in contact with the wall of the well. rlihe compressor may be used for expanding the packing member without using the member 20, and which compressor is threaded for the reception ofthe oil pipe 24 extending from the packer to the top of the wall.

The packer is set in the following manner:

The parts are placed in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the tubing is connected to the compressor 23 and the device is lowered into the well, care being taken that the tubing is not rotated during the lowering Y of the packer. As soon as the packer has been lowered to the point--atwhich it is to be anchored, the tubing, as well as the packer, are rotated counter-clockwise with relation to the slip and holding member 6. The slip and holding member 6 is `frictionally held against rotation by means of the frictional springs 9, and when the hook member 10 engages the other side of the pin 3, the entire packer is lowered with relation to the holding member 6, to the position shown in Figure 3. The frusto-conical member 11 will now expand the lingers 7. As soon as the frictional engagement between the members 11 and 8 is sufficient to prevent further downward movement of the tube 2, the pin 12 will be sheared to permit the tubing 2 to moverelative to the irustoconical member 11. T his shearing of the pin 12 will also cause the pin 13 to be sheared it the slip and holding member 14 is connected to the tube 2 by means ofa trangible pin. This shearing ot the pin 12 will permit the tube 2 and the truste-conical member 17 to move relative to the slip and holding member 1a and the truste-conical member 17 will expand the ingers 15 and move the holding members 16 into contact with the wall ot the well as shown in Figure e. llifhen the downward movement of the trusto-conical member 17 is arrested, the pin 18 will be sheared by the weight ot the tubing above the packer and the weight ot' the tubing will torce the expander 2O into the packing member 19 to expand the packing member 19 against the wall oil the well` and it the expander is moved a sutticient distance into the packing member 19 by the weight of the tubing, the compressor E23 will engage the top ot' the packing member and compress it so as to torce it against the wali ot' the well. lt will,

be readily appreciated that before the packing member 19 is expanded by means et' this expander 9., both ot" the holdmembers and 1i.-` aie wedged into conwith the wal?n o; 'the well. so that the packer are supportedA by two s, and it one Toi the holding r11-agement with a portion of isA liable to give way, the device would be snfcient to The advantages` of rmy invention result from the provision of a packer having two holding devices which simultaneously act to support the packer and the tubing above the packer.

l claim: y

1. A well packerhaving Van expansible packing member and a plurality of holding members below said packing member in different horizontal planes arranged to support the packing member, a tube carrying the packing member and holding members and means frangibly connected to said tube for movin bothof said holding members to operatlve position before the packing member is expanded, substantially Vas described.

2. A well packer having a fiexiblepacking member, a tube carrying the same, an expander for said packino member, a plurality of holding members below the packing member arranged to be brought into action before the expander operates on the packing member, and means frangibly connected to said tube for bringing the holding members intoA the desired operation, substantially as described.

3. A well packer having a tube, an eX- pander connected thereto, a iexible packing member adapted to -move relative to the tube when the packer lis set, a holding member adapted to engage the wall of the well below said packing member, an expander for the holding member below the packing member and above the holding member, a slip and holding member below the first holding member, an expander between the slip and holding member and the first mentioned holding member, frangible connections between said expanders and the tube arranged to be broken before the expander tor the packing member is brought into action, and a latching device between the tube .and the last mentioned .slip and holding` member; substantially as described.

1. A well packer comprising a tube adapt` ed to be connected to an oil pipe, a tlanged member having a recess connected to the lower end ot the tube, a slip and holding member above said flanged member, a hookmember connecting the slip and holding member to the tianged member, arranged to be released therefrom when rotated with re lation thereto, said holding member having a plurality of expanding fingers having holding members on the upper ends thereof, a trustoconical member above said fingers connected to the tube by a trangible connec tion and arranged to move the hoiding members into contact with the wall oi the well, a second holding member, a second trusteconical member connected to the tube et the packer by means of a traiigible coni ction, said frusto-conicai member being to expand the ting-ers et the second heid into contact with the iat Maaate well, a flexible packing member surrounding the tube above the second frusto-conical member, and an expander for the packing member on the tube arranged to be brought into action to expand the packing member after the second frusto-conical member has been disconnected from the tube, the arrangement being such that both holding devices are brought into action before the packing member is set; substantially as described.

5. A well packer comprising a tube adapted to be connected to an oil pipe, a flanged member having a recess connected to the lower end of the tube, a slip and holding member above said flanged member, a detachable hook member connecting the slip and holding member to the flanged member, said holding member having a plurality of expanding fingers having holding members on the upper ends thereof, a frusto-conical member above said fingers connected to the tube by a frangible connection and arranged to move the holding members in contact with the wall of the well, a second holding member, a second frusto-conical member connected to the tube of the packer by means of a frangible connection, said frusto-conical member being arranged to expand the fingers of the second holding member into contact with the wall of the'well, a flexible packing member surrounding the tube above the second frusto-conical member, an

expander for the packing member on the tube arranged to be brought into action to expand the packing member after the second frusto-conical member has been disconnected from the tube, and a compressor above the expander' for the top of the packing member, the arrangement being such that both holding devices are brought into action before the packing member is set; substantially as described.

6. A well packer having a tube, an expander connected thereto, a flexible packing member adapted to move relative to the tube when the packer is set, a holding member adapted to engage the wall of the well below said packing member, an expander for the holding member below the packing member and above the holding member, a slip and holding member below the first holding member, an expander between the slip and holding member and the first mentioned holding member, frangible connections between said expanders and the tube arranged to be broken before the expander for the packing member is brought into action, and a holding device between the tube and the last mentioned slip and holding member adapted to be released upon predetermined rotation of said tube; substantially as described.

7. A well packer having an expansible packing member, a tube carrying the same, a holding member on said tube, means for maintaining said holding member in inoperative position, said means being rendered ineffective upon rotating said tube relatively thereto in a predetermined direction, a senond holding member, and means frangibly connected to said tube for operating said second holding member after the operation of said first mentioned holding member and before the expansion of said packing mereber, substantially `as describe 8. A well packer having a packing member, a tube carrying the same, a holding member on said tube, a second holding member on said tube and means frangibly connected to said tube for operating both of said holding menbers before expanding said packing, substantially as described.

9. A well packer having a packing member, a tube carrying the same, a holding member on said tube, a second holding member on said tube, means for operating'one" of said holding members, means effective after the operation of said holding member for operating the second holdingrmember, and means effective after the operation of' both of said holding members for expanding said packing, all of said means having frangible connection with the tube, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES M. HEETER. 

